East Village Gastropub Rolling to Rancho Penasquitos

A fixture in the East Village since 2011, Knotty Barrel will start construction at the end of the month on a second branch that’s headed for Rancho Penasquitos. President Ken Lovi told Eater that the gastropub’s expansion into the North County community intends to provide a new family-friendly dining option to the still-underserved area.

In 2016, the East Village location underwent an expansion, adding an in-house brewery and a large outdoor beer garden. The Black Mountain Road outpost, which replaces the long-empty Cafe 56, will go through an extensive remodel; due to debut in Spring 2019, it will feature a 4,000-square-foot interior and 2,000-square-foot patio with fire pits and lawn games.

Beer production will remain anchored in the East Village, but the house beer will be offered in Rancho Penasquitos along with a full cocktail bar. Its core menu of starters, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees ranging from chipotle-glazed meatloaf and mac and cheese will transfer over, with more choices for kid-friendly dishes. North County will also feature weekend brunch service all year long — the East Village location only offers brunch during football season.